Women's Volleyball | 11/13/2025 1:00:00 PM
The Empire 8 Conference announced its 2025 Women’s Volleyball All-Conference awards on Thursday, November 12. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches. Regular Season Champion St. John Fisher swept all four major awards, as senior Reilly Morrow was named the Player of the Year, Kalyna Dannenberg was named Rookie of the Year, senior Kiera Hartpence was the Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year and head coach Kelly Greapentrog and her staff were named the E8 Coaching Staff of the Year.
Morrow is the leader of a stout St. John Fisher offense that is eighth nationally with a .260 hitting percentage, 13th with 12.53 assists per set and 14th nationally with 13.48 kills per set. Individually, Morrow leads the Empire 8 and is ninth in Division III, averaging 10.42 assists per set. She has dished out 886 assists, while slamming 42 service aces to go along with 36 blocks and 194 digs. Morrow has averaged at least 10 assists per set in 21 matches this season, including 16 in a row heading into the E8 Championship. Morrow is the fourth different E8 Player of the Year from St. John Fisher.
Hartpence was named the E8 Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year for the second time, having also earned the honor in 2023. She has recorded 324 digs for an average of 3.48 digs per set, in addition to 99 assists and 22 service aces. Most impressively, Hartpence has just 15 reception errors in 407 total attempts this season and was even stronger in league play, with just three reception errors in 161 attempts (.981 reception percentage). She is a main reason why St. John Fisher leads all of Division III in allowing the lowest opponents hitting percentage (0.048) and is eighth in hitting percentage (.260).
Dannenberg, an outside hitter, is enjoying a tremendous debut season for the Cardinals, slamming 316 kills on the season with an impressive .257 hitting percentage to go along with 232 digs and 33 service aces, while also earning All-E8 first team accolades. She is second in the E8 behind teammate Kaylene Noble in both kills (3.55) and points (4.14) per set and is fifth in hitting percentage. Dannenberg has recorded at least 10 kills in a match 22 times and has nine double-doubles on the season. Dannenberg was a seven-time E8 Rookie of the Week and is the tenth Rookie of the Year in St. John Fisher program history, joining current teammates Kaylene Noble (2023) and Lydia Frazier (2024).
St. John Fisher head coach Kelly Greapentrog and assistant coaches Nicksen Sivongsa, Eddie Deoreuang, and Laura Thiele were honored as the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. St. John Fisher won the Empire 8 Regular Season Championship and is the No. 1 seed in the E8 Tournament after finishing 11-0 in league play this season. The Cardinals enter the Empire 8 Championship match having won 28 consecutive matches and are 28-1, ranked No. 19 in the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball National Power Index. The Cardinals lead the nation in lowest opponents hitting percentage (0.048). are eighth in hitting percentage (0.260) and in the top-15 in kills and assists per set. Six Cardinals earned All-Empire 8 honors this season, headlined by Morrow, the Player of the Year. It is the fifth E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honor for Greapentrog since 2019.
Hartwick setter Braelyn Hornick, the 2022 Empire 8 Player of the Year, garnered first team accolades for the third time. Hartpence and Kaylene Noble of St. John Fisher both earned their second All-E8 first team accolades. Alenna Williamson of SUNY Brockport, Kathryn Barba of SUNY Geneseo, Shelby Swartz of Hartwick, Houghton University’s Alexa Belanger, Dannenberg and Morrow were also named All-E8 first team members.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2025 Women's Volleyball Tomorrow’s Leaders Team. This team honors a student-athlete who has emerged as a leader not only on the field of play, but in the classroom and in the community. In addition, they “compete with honor and integrity” and have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
“Developing character and integrity is a hallmark of the Empire 8,” said E8 Executive Director
Chuck Mitrano. “This series is proof that Empire 8 and our member institutions are committed to intercollegiate athletics’ important role in higher education.”
2025 Empire 8 Women’s Volleyball All-Conference Selections
Player of the Year: Reilly Morrow, Sr., S, St. John Fisher
Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year: Kiera Hartpence, Sr., L/DS, St. John Fisher
Rookie of the Year: Kalyna Dannenberg, Fr., OH, St. John Fisher
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John Fisher, led by head coach Kelly Greapentrog
Empire 8 First Team
Alenna Williamson, Sr., MB/RS, SUNY Brockport (Roanoke, VA/Rockbridge)
Kathryn Barba, So., OH, SUNY Geneseo (Huntington, NY/Huntington)
Braelyn Hornick, Sr., S, Hartwick (Candor, NY/Candor)
Shelby Swartz, Sr., OH, Hartwick (Candor, NY/Candor)
Alexa Belanger, So., OH, Houghton (Ballston Spa, NY/ Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake)
Kalyna Dannenberg, Fr., OH, St. John Fisher (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius)
Kiera Hartpence, Sr., L/DS, St. John Fisher (Scotia, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake)
Reilly Morrow, Sr., S, St. John Fisher (Moore, OK/Moore)
Kaylene Noble, Jr., OH, St. John Fisher (Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius)
Empire 8 Second Team
Taylor Malone, Sr., OH, Alfred (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads)
Delaney Sims, Sr., S, Alfred (Bogart, GA/George Walton Academy)
Ana Parella, Fr., MB, SUNY Brockport (Saratoga Springs, NY/Stillwater)
Madisen Jones, Fr., OH, SUNY Brockport (Elmira, NY/Elmira)
Lucy Walker, So., MB, Hartwick (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca)
Emma Cole, Sr., MB, Houghton (Fillmore, NY/Fillmore)
Aniyah Kelly, Sr., OPP, Russell Sage (Newcastle, NY/William Penn)
Lydia Fraser, So., OH, St. John Fisher (Plymouth, MI/Father Gabriel Richard)
Ana Gutman, Jr., MB, St. John Fisher (Penfield, NY/Penfield)
Empire 8 Third Team
Carleigh Santavy, Jr., OPP, Alfred (Commerce, MI/Walled Lake Northern)
Kaitlyn Jewett, Jr., S, SUNY Brockport (Penfield, NY/Penfield)
Ayla Pas’cal, So., MB, SUNY Geneseo (Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles)
Isabella Gracias, Jr., RS/MH, Hartwick (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta)
Zooey Gagnier, Jr., L/DS, SUNY Geneseo (Penfield, NY/Penfield)
Emma Curry, Fr., L/DS, Russell Sage (Goodyear, AZ/Estrella Foothills)
Leah Fusilli, Sr., OH, Nazareth (Penfield, NY/Penfield)
Trinity Bailey, Sr., OH, Utica (West Winfield, NY/Mt. Markham)
Megan Wright, Sr., L/DS, Utica (Clay Center, KS/Clay Center Community)
Empire 8 Tomorrow’s Leaders
Jade K. Wolfer, Sr., L/DS, Alfred (Nunda, NY/Nunda)
Maddy Howell, Jr., MB, SUNY Brockport (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse)
Alyson Hagberg, Sr., S, Elmira (Clear Lake, SD/Deuel)
Carolyn Mack, Sr., S, SUNY Geneseo (Rochester, NY/Webster Thomas)
Mary Kinnane, Sr., S, Hartwick (Rockaway Beach, NY/Poly Prep Country Day)
Emma Cole, Sr., MB, Houghton (Fillmore, NY/Fillmore)
Lilly Devine, Jr., L/DS, Keuka (Windsor, NY/Windsor)
Zipporah Sparkman, Sr., MB, Nazareth (Penfield, NY/Penfield)
Samantha Dee, Sr., L/DS, SUNY Poly (Westmoreland, NY/Westmoreland)
Emma Curry, Fr., L/DS, Russell Sage (Goodyear, AZ/Estrella Foothills)
Erika Edholm, Sr., OH, St. John Fisher (Buffalo, NY/Sweet Home)
Lauren Jones, Gr., S, Utica (West Winfield, NY/Mt. Markham)